What is a Caregiver?
You might already be a caregiver—here’s what that can look like
A caregiver is anyone who helps another person manage their health, daily needs, or overall well-being—often without pay. You might be a caregiver if you:
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Help a family member, partner, friend, or neighbor with everyday tasks
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Coordinate or attend medical appointments
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Manage medications or health-related needs
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Provide emotional support, check-ins, or advocacy
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Assist with household responsibilities or transportation
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Step in regularly because someone relies on you
If you see yourself in any of these roles, you can identify as a family caregiver—even if you’ve never used that term before. Caregiving looks different for everyone, but every caregiver plays a vital role and deserves recognition and support.
The Caregiver’s Role
Low vision or blindness refers to a range of vision impairment in which even with correction (glasses, contacts, etc.), an individual has difficulty seeing well enough to perform everyday tasks. For caregivers, helping a loved one with vision loss involves more than physical assistance—it means adapting environments, supporting emotional and mental wellness, learning alternate techniques (e.g. non-visual skills), and helping your loved one maintain independence as much as possible. Because vision loss can change over time, caregivers often need to continuously adjust, learn, and be patient with both their own expectations and those of the person with vision impairment.
Top 3 Things Caregivers Should Know
Caregiving Resources
Partner Resources
Caregiver Action Network
This resource was developed with support from Prevent Blindness.
